Annotations upon the Holy Bible. Vol. I wherein the sacred text is inserted, and various readings annex'd, together with parallel scriptures, the more difficult terms in each verse are explained, seeming contradictions reconciled, questions and doubts resolved, and the whole text opened / by the late reverend and learned divine Mr. Matthew Poole.

CHAP. VI.

1 AND the LORD spake unto Moses, say∣ing,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel and say unto them, When either man or woman a 1.1 shall ‖ 1.2 separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite b 1.3, to separate themselves unto the LORD:

3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink c 1.4, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried c 1.5. * 1.6

4 All the dayes of his ‖ 1.7 separation d 1.8 shall he eat nothing that is made of the † 1.9 vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

5 All the dayes of the vow of his separation, there shall no * 1.10 rasor e 1.11 come upon his head, un∣till the dayes be fulfilled, in the which he separat∣eth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy f 1.12; and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

6 All the dayes that he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall come at no † 1.13 dead body.

7 He shall not make himself unclean for his fa∣ther, or for his mother g 1.14, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the † 1.15 conse∣cration h 1.16 of his God i 1.17 is upon his head.

8 All the dayes of his separation he is holy un∣to the LORD.

9 And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head k 1.18 in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day l 1.19 shall he shave it.

10 And on the * 1.20 eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons m 1.21 to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the con∣gregation.

11 And the priest shall offer n 1.22 the one for a sin-offering o 1.23, and the other for a burnt-offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sin∣ned p 1.24 by the dead, and shall hallow q 1.25 his head that sameday.

12 And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the dayes of his separation r 1.26, and shall bring a lamb of the first year * 1.27 for a trespass-offering: but the dayes that were before shall † 1.28 be lost s 1.29, because his separation was defiled:

13 And this is the law of the Nazarite: when the dayes of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought t 1.30 unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

14 And he shall offer his offering unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year, without blemish, for a burnt-offering, and one ew-lamb of the first year, without blemish, for * 1.31 a sin-offer∣ing u 1.32, and one ram without blemish, for * 1.33 peace∣offerings x 1.34:

15 And a basket of unleavened bread, * 1.35 cakes of fine flour mingled with oyl, and wafers of unlea∣vened bread anointed with oyl, and their meat∣offering, and their drink-offerings y 1.36.

16 And the priest shall bring them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin-offering, and his burnt-offering.

17 And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat-offering, and his drink-offering.

18 * 1.37 And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation z 1.38, at the door of the Tabernacle of the congregation a 1.39, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire b 1.40, which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offer∣ings.

19 And the priest shall take the sodden shoul∣der c 1.41 of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite d 1.42, after the hair of his separation is shaven.

20 And the priest shall wave them * 1.43 for a wave∣offering e 1.44 before the LORD: this is holy for the priest with the wave-breast, and heave∣shoulder: and after that the Nazarite may drink wine f 1.45.

21 This is the Law of the Nazarite, who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the LORD for his separation, besides that that his hand shall get g 1.46: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do, after the law of his separation.

22 And the LORD spake unto Moses, say∣ing,

23 Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, say∣ing, On this wise h 1.47 ye shall bless the children of Israel i 1.48, saying unto them,

24 The LORD bless thee k 1.49, and keep thee l 1.50:

25 The LORD make his face shine upon thee m, and be gracious unto thee:* 1.51

26 The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee n 1.52, and give thee peace o 1.53,

27 And they shall put my Name upon the chil∣dren of Israel p 1.54, and I will bless them q 1.55.

Notes

• a 1.1

  For both sexes might make this vow, if they were free and at their own dispose, for otherwise their parents or husbands could disanul the vow, Numb. 30. 4. and in that case they sinned in taking Gods name in vain and vowing what they could not perform.
• ‖ 1.2

  Or, make them∣selves Naza∣rites.
• b 1.3

  Whereby they did sequester themselves in a great part from worldly employments and enioyments, that they might intirely con•…•…ecrate themselves to Gods service, and this either for their whole life time, of which see Iude. 13. 5. and 16. 17. 1 Sam. 1. 11. Luk. 1. 15. or for a less and li∣mited space of time, of which in this chapter.
• c 1.4

  Which was forbidden him for greater caution to keep him at the further distance from wine.
• c 1.5

  Which was forbidden him for greater caution to keep him at the further distance from wine.
• * 1.6

  b Least they should either inflame or dispose him to luxury, and consequently to the breaking of his vow: or cloud his rea∣son and thereby occasion some mistake or miscarriage in the rules to which he had bound himself. Compare Lev. 10. 9.
• ‖ 1.7

  Or, Nazarite∣ship.
• d 1.8

  Which were sometimes more, sometimes fewer, as he thought fit to appoint.
• † 1.9

  Heb. of the vine of the wine.
• * 1.10

  Judg. 13. 5. 1 Sam. 1. 11.
• e 1.11

  Nor scissers, or other instrument to cut off any part of his hair. This was appointed, partly as a sign of his mortification to wordly delights and vain affectation of outward beauty, which is promoted by the polling or cutting off the hair; part∣ly as a testimony of that purity which hereby he professed, be∣cause the cutting off the hair was a sign of uncleanness, as ap∣pears from ver. 9. and Levit. 14. 8, 9. partly that by the no∣torious length of his hair he might be constantly minded of his vow and the exquisite holiness it required, and that others might thereby be admonished and stirred up to the imitation of his holy example; and partly that he might reserve his hair en∣tirely for God to whom it was to be offered, ver. 18.
• f 1.12

  (i. e.) Wholly consecrated to God and his service, whereby he shews that inward and substantial holiness was the great thing which God required and valued in these, and consequently in other rites and ceremonies.
• † 1.13

  Or, dead soul.
• g 1.14

  Wherein he was equal to the High-priest, Lev. 21. 11. being, in some sort, as sacred a person, and as eminent a type of Christ, Heb. 7. 26. and therefore justly required to prefer the service of God to which he had so fully and peculiarly given himself before the expressions of his affections to his dearest and nearest relations.
• † 1.15

  Heb. separa∣tion.
• h 1.16

  (i. e.) The token of his consecration, to wit, his long hair.
• i 1.17

  (i. e.) Whereby he hath devoted him∣self to his God in an eminent manner. The Genitive case of the object.
• k 1.18

  Because his whole body, and especially his hair was defiled by such an accident, which he ought to impute either to his own heedlessness, or at least to Gods providence so ordering the mat∣ter possibly for the punishment of his other sins, or for the quic∣kening of him to more caution and purity and detestation of all dead works whereby he would be defiled,
• l 1.19

  To be reckoned from the time of his pollution, for uncleanness contracted by the dead continued for seven days, and the seventh day was the day of cleansing for it, Levit. 15. 13. Numb. 19. 11, 12.
• * 1.20

  Lev. 5. 7. and 24. 22.
• m 1.21

  As in the case of him that had a running issue, Lev. 15. 14.
• n 1.22

  Heb. make: which is oft put for sacrificing or offering, as Exod. 29. 36. 1 Chron. 21. 23. compared with 2 Sam. 24. 22.
• o 1.23

  Because such a pollution was though not his sin, yet the chastisement of his sin, and had an appearance of sin, to wit, of negligence in not standing sufficiently upon his guard, which in such persons was in a manner equivalent to a sin.
• p 1.24

  (i. e.) Con∣tracted a ceremonial uncleanness, which is called sinning, be∣cause it was a type of sin, and a violation of a law, though through ignorance and inadvertency, as many other sins were.
• q 1.25

  Begin again to hallow or consecrate it.
• r 1.26

  As many days as he had before separated or vowed unto God.
• * 1.27

  Lev. 5. 6.
• † 1.28

  Heb. fall.
• s 1.29

  (i. e.) Not reckoned or imputed to him. Heb. fall, to wit, to the ground, i. e. be void or of none effect.
• t 1.30

  By the Priests appointment and direction.
• * 1.31

  Lev. 4. 2, 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ 32.
• u 1.32

  Whereby he confessed and bewailed his frailties and miscar∣riages notwithstanding the strictness of his vow and all the dili∣gence and care which he could use, and consequently acknow∣ledged his need of the grace of God in Christ Jesus the true Nazarite.
• * 1.33

  Lev. 3. 6.
• x 1.34

  For thankfulness to God, who had given him grace to make and in some measure to keep such a vow. So he offered all the three sorts of offerings, that he might so far fulfill all righteousness and profess his obligation to observe the will of God in all things.
• * 1.35

  Lev. 2. 〈◊〉〈◊〉.
• y 1.36

  Such as did generally accompany the sacrifices, of which see Lev. 2. 1. and Numb. 28.
• * 1.37

  Act. 21. 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪
• z 1.38

  Or, of his Nazariteship, i. e. in which the chief of his Na∣zarite-ship or separation to God consisted.
• a 1.39

  Publickly, that it might be known that his vow was ended, and therefore he was at liberty as to those things from which he had restrained him∣self for a season, otherwise some might have been scandalized at his use of his liberty. See Act. 21. 26.
• b 1.40

  Either 1. the fire of the Altar. But why then is this restrained to the peace∣offerings, seeing it was common to the burnt-offerings, and to the sin-offerings? or rather 2. to the fire of the kitchin, upon which the flesh of the peace-offerings was boyled.
• c 1.41

  The left shoulder, as it appears from ver. 20. where this is joyned with the heave-shoulder, which was the right-shoulder, and which was the Priests due in all sacrifices, Lev. 7. 32. and in this also. But here the other shoulder was added to it, as a special token of thankfulness from the Nazarites for Gods singu∣lar favours vouchsafed unto them.
• d 1.42

  That he may give them to the Priest, as his peculiar gift.
• * 1.43

  Exod. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 23.
• e 1.44

  Of the wave-offering and heave-offering. See Lev. 7. 30.
• f 1.45

  And return to his former freedom and manner of living, he is discharged from his vow.
• g 1.46

  (i. e.) Besides what he shall voluntarily promise and give according to his ability.
• h 1.47

  Heb. Thus, in this manner, or in these words: yet so as that they were not tied to these very words, because after this we have examples of Moses and David and Solomon and others blessing the people in other words.
• i 1.48

  To wit, in the publick assembly.
• k 1.49

  (i. e.) Bestow upon you all manner of blessings, temporal and spiritual. Compare Gen. 12. 2.
• l 1.50

  (i. e.) Continue his blessings to thee, and preserve thee in and to the use of them, keep thee from sin and its bitter effects.
• * 1.51

  l (i. e.) Smile upon thee.: this is opposed to the hiding of his face, and to the covering himself or his face with a cloud; and it is explained by the following words, be gracious unto thee. Others expound it of illumination or direction and the revelati∣on of himself and of his will to them.
• n 1.52

  (i. e.) Look upon thee with a chearful and pleasant coun∣tenance, as one that is reconciled to thee and well pleased with thee and thy offering and services. See of this phrase Psal. 4. 6. Prov. 16. 15. To this is opposed the falling and the cast∣ing down of the countenance, of which see Gen. 4. 5, 6. Iob 29. 24. Or, Regard, Protect, and help thee. Compare Psal. 33. 18.
• o 1.53

  Peace with God and with thy own conscience and with all men, and all prosperity, which is comprehended under this word.
• p 1.54

  (i. e.) Shall call them by my name, shall recommend them to me as my own people, and bless them and pray unto me for them as such: which is a powerful argument to prevail with God for them, and therefore hath been oft used by the Pro∣phets interceding for them, as Ier. 14. 9. Dan. 9. 18, 19. Compare 1 Sam. 12. 22.
• q 1.55

  I will ratify their blessings, and give those blessings to the people which the Priests pray for.